He Lay Dreaming
by revvangrey
Summary: If you should sell your soul, remember to read the fine print . . . . (Third sequel to HwSS) (Part 1.2: Wrong Number)
1. A Table with Seven Chairs

**He Lay Dreaming, part 1.1: A Table with Seven Chairs**

**I Do Not Own the RAILDEX Universe**

**Author's Note:**

Greetings all!

It has been far too long, I know . . . . But fear not! I haven't run out of ideas yet! Work may be busy, but I have returned with another chapter in our ongoing story. It's good to be back.

This story marks the opening of the third sequel to _'He Will Surely Save' which_, together with _'A Sky of Falling Stars'_ and _'Master of the House'_, will make up part two of _HwSS_.

This chapter falls on Monday, the day of Fukiyose's and Himegami's meeting with the Forward Echelon.

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The waning light of the late afternoon was casting long shadows on the two girls as they wound their way through the narrow alleys deeper and deeper into unknown territories. They walked with purposeful strides, barely glancing to the left or right as they made their way.

This was business.

A busty, dark-haired high school girl paused mid-step, double checked the directions marked out on the small map she was carrying and frowned. She looked around at the pervasive grime surrounding her and scowled still deeper.

"Why is that Ojou even in a place like this?" Fukiyose shook her head and pointed in a random direction. "These alleys have 'non-consensual activity' written all over them . . . ."

She turned to the girl standing next to her and looked her friend's miko outfit up and down before running her hand down her face in frustration.

"And speaking of crazy, Hime, why are you wearing that kind of cosplay now of all times?!" The busty high school girl began to waggle her finger in the miko's direction. "Are you worried that not enough people are going to notice us?"

The girl with princess hair raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"You're the one who waited until now to complain about it . . . ." She gave a subtly smug smile to her friend. "I bet you didn't even notice it, did you?"

Fukiyose narrowed her eyes and turned on her heels before stomping off.

"Let's just go."

Himegami nodded to herself with a strange sense of satisfaction and followed close on her friend's trail. "Are you worried about being assaulted?"

". . . I'm just trying to remain prudent."

"You don't have to be worried." Himegami stepped up he pace to align with the other girl and sent a pose in her direction. "As this city's famed magical girl, I shall protect you."

" . . . "

Fukiyose's blank expression was then received by a random thumbs-up from the princess-haired girl walking beside her.

"I even remembered to recharge my batteries so I don't have to worry about running out of magic this time."

Fukiyose's jaw dropped comically low when the girl in the miko outfit pulled an enormous metal nightstick out of her pocket and extended it to full length. It began to crackle with electricity when she pressed down the large button on the side with her thumb.

"Why are you carrying an electrified club?!"

Himegami could only smile at her friend's outburst. "Isn't the real question 'why aren't _you_ carrying one'?"

Fukiyose grumbled and shook her head, gesturing at a building just ahead of them.

"_Just put it away, already. We're here."_

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Four individuals were sitting around a table in the booth of an anonymous family restaurant, three (ranging from 'reasonably' to 'exceedingly') attractive young women and one slightly shabby looking blond boy. The girls (and guy) of the group known as ITEM where planning on having an early supper after dropping a certain blonde little sister character off at her dorm just in time for her grade school's curfew.

The blond delinquent called Hamazura Shiage had at that time taken the opportunity to call the group together for a meeting to discuss recent developments in the esper world. Developements which had been brought to his attention by the Number Two's visit the prior Friday.

That ever suffering, hard working young man looked around the table at his compatriots and found them pouring over their menus, studiously ignoring him as usual. He cleared his throat to get their attention. Hopefully.

"Everyone, we have serious business to deal with today."

The rest of the table glanced up at him with raised eyebrows before returning to the menus in front of them. Hamazura twitched and leaned forwards, furrowing his brows.

"I'm being serious here!" The boy reached into his pocket to pull out a crudely folded bundle of papers, which he then dropped on the table in front of the girls. "We have a real problem on our hands!"

"What is this mess you're pushing off on us now?" The resident level five scowled as she tapped the top of the paper. "Are your Skill-Out buddies getting whiny again, or something?"

"This isn't about Skill-Out."

"They are super whiny though . . . " A girl wearing short shorts crossed her slender legs under the table and pointed across it at the lone male of the group. "Case in point."

"We. Are. In. DANGER!"

The blond boy's outburst brought wide eyed looks of shock to the faces of the girls across the table. For about seven seconds. Laughter and table pounding then followed, filling the girls' eyes with mirthful tears. Hamazura plunked his elbows down on the table and began to rub his face in frustration. The sleepy eyed girl sitting next to him reached over and began to rub his back.

"It's okay, Hamazura . . . " She murmured. "I'll support you."

The delinquent looked over at her.

"Takisubo, it's not just us." He muttered back at her. "Fremea-chan could be in danger as well."

The laughter then abruptly stopped. Hamazura could feel the cold glare of an all too near level five burning into him.

"Explain yourself, Goldilocks."

"Yeah, Hamazura." The short thigh-flasher girl crossed her arms over her chest. "If this is a comedy act, it super sucks."

"This isn't a joke. Do you remember the person Beetle-san wanted me to tell you about when he visited on Friday, right before threatening to kill us all?"

The girls all nodded and shivered despite their best efforts to the contrary. One more so that the rest. Hamazura tapped on the pile of papers in front of himself and continued.

"It turns out that he's an incredibly dangerous individ–"

A fist slammed down on the table. "And you waited until now to tell us?!"

"Easy, now!" Hamazura shrunk back at the sight of the level five's bared teeth. "I'm just one man, you know!"

Mugino sank back into her chair and began to tap her foot in a rapid rhythm, raising her chin and staring down her nose at the blond delinquent.

"I've been making calls among my old contacts to see what dirt I could dig up on this Sotomawari Mairo guy." The boy began to unfold the papers he had dumped on the table earlier and started to randomly pass them around. "It turns out that he is the head of some kind of powerful organization, but more importantly than that . . . "

Hamazura glanced around the table at the girls who were now staring at the papers with an array of bewildered faces.

"_He is going to kill the level fives."_

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"_Just put it away, already. We're here."_

The two (mostly) ordinary high school girls stood frozen in front of their destination. It was an imposing building of stark gray concrete, appearing to be at least a few stories high. A near total lack of windows made this difficult to gauge, however. A stairway of about a dozen uneven and chipped stone steps lead up to a deeply recessed metal door which was flanked by a pair of narrow and heavily barred windows on either side.

Overall, it gave the girls an impression that they were about to be swallowed whole by an enormous face. The pair gave an unconscious shiver.

"On second thought . . . " Fukiyose turned back to her princess-haired friend with a grimace. "You might want to keep that thing handy."

"Way ahead of you." Himegami clenched her shock-club in both hands like she had just stepped up to bat. "So go knock."

The ever serious busty girl crossed her arms over her chest, the pitch of her voice raising just _slightly_ in its delivery. " . . . Why don't _you_ knock?"

"I can't save you if you don't go and get into trouble first." Fukiyose's eye twitched when she heard that. "Plus, they sent _you_ the invitation, not me."

The Certain High School's most anticipated freshman girl turned her head to the side and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine." Fukiyose shook her head and jogged slowly up the stairs. "Just stick close."

"Scared?"

Fukiyose didn't bother to turn her head. She could feel that imperceptible smile burning into the back of her neck even then.

"Don't make me headbutt you . . . "

"Terrified."

The high school's most anticipated freshman girl gritted her teeth for a minute, but relaxed without commenting. Instead, she raised a tight fist and hammered the stained and corroded metal door with everything she had.

After a few moments of sustained racket, she took a step backwards, descending onto the next step down from the door. She began to shake some feeling back into her tingling fingers, shifting her weight from one leg to the other as she did so.

The girls waited and listened . . .

Nothing. Pure disappointing silence.

The pair stood in front of the door, feeling too awkward to knock again, but also too stubborn to turn around and leave. After what seemed an interminable wait, Fukiyose turned her head to speak to her friend when a sound from the inside caused her to snap to attention.

It was the sound of a lock being undone.

Then another.

And another.

And _another_ . . .

The bemused health-loving girl turned to share a glance with the miko standing beside her, and found that her friend was silently counting off on her fingers as each lock was undone. Himegami had just gotten to eleven when the terrible screeching sound of a metal door finally being wrenched open made both girls flinch.

A strangely jocular male voice floated out from behind it as it swung reluctantly open with a number of random creaks and groans. Any stereotypical haunted house would have been proud . . .

"If this is the landlord again, the check's in the mail . . . " A slender boy wearing leather peeked his head around the door and sent them a broad grin. "Ladies~ We've been expecting you."

The shadow striker named Aihana Etsu energetically waved them into the room.

"Come in, Come in!" As the two girls crossed the threshold he gave them a mockingly deep bow. "Welcome to our humble abode. The place where dreams come to die . . . ."

Fukiyose and Himegami stood silently inside the foyer, unsure of what to say to him. Nonplussed, he closed the door behind them and began redoing the ridiculous number of locks, whistling a jaunty tune as he did so. After turning to face them once more, he gave a vague wave across the room and down a narrow and barely lit passageway at the far end.

"The meeting room's that way, if you will follow me." The boy bent forward at the waist and started to walk, half doubled over, while erratically waving his arms in front of him. "Walk this way!"

Fukiyose stomped after him with Himegami in tow, both with bodies held perfectly upright. The girl of iron walls grumbled at the boy's antics and crossed her arms over her ample chest in mild disgust.

"We're not doing that old joke with you."

"Aw . . . Spoilsports~" Aihana straightened up and started walking normally again. He waved dismissively at the center of the room as the group passed. "Please excuse the mess, I haven't had a chance to clean up . . . "

The girls turned their heads to take in the room and blinked in confusion. Other than a single wooden chair that they assumed the boy had been sitting in before they arrived, the room was empty. Bare walls and faded maroon checkered carpet were the only things to see.

Himegami leaned forwards to whisper into her friend's ear. "_He seems to be in a better mood today._"

The busty girl nodded and whispered back. "_And that worries me._"

If the leather-clad boy heard the girls' comments, he didn't show a reaction. He simply continued to whistle to himself and led the girls deeper into the catacomb-like building. The two girls did their best to keep up with his brisk pace until a strange sound, like an irregular clicking or crackling, lead them to pause in front of an open door and peer into the room . . .

It took a few moments for the shadow striker to realize that the pair of girls he was supposed to be leading were no longer behind him.

"Ladies?" He turned and found them standing frozen in front of one the passageway's many rooms. "What is it?"

Aihana walked back and peered over their shoulders. He raised an eyebrow and nodded briefly to himself.

"Ah, right, I forgot about the abomination in the hallway . . . " He waved his hands dismissively. "You should probably just ignore that. "

With a cat-like grin, the slender boy watched as the busty girl's eyes rolled back into her head and her body tilted backwards into the hallway like a felled tree, making a mighty thud when it hit the floor.

Those still conscious then heard a playful voice warble from further up the hallway.

"_Oh, my~ I'm a little disappointed!"_

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"_He is going to kill the level fives."_

That lone phrase had sparked quite the discussion, whispers gave way to shouts and then back again as the level zero explained everything he had found during his search. By the end, there was a deep, and very uncomfortable, silence.

" . . . And so when Umidori called me this morning out of the blue asking about the exact same group, I knew that I had to be on to something! . . . Hehe . . . ."

Hamazura's strained chuckle faded out into empty air. Across from him, Mugino was sitting perfectly still with her eyes closed.

"Let me get this straight." She stated in a chillingly clear voice. "Some punk level zero became a level four and founded an organization that did the same thing for _thousands_ of others . . ."

The blond boy nodded, despite the level five's eyes remaining closed.

"This very same boy, at level three, would have been able to kill a level five."

"Ye–"

"According to _you_ . . . " The level five opened her eyes. Hamazura shuddered. "He is, at this moment, a level _**four**_."

" . . . "

Mugino closed her eyes once more and took a deep breath. "I see . . . "

Without warning, the level five jumped up and lunged across the table, clamping her delicate yet vice-like hands around the blond's neck. She then began to shake the poor boy like a rag doll until he started foaming at the mouth.

"Why?! Aren't?! We?! ALL?! **DEAD?!**" She shrieked, each syllable punctuated by an ever stronger shake.

"Mugino, you super need to let him go." Saiai motioned with her chin across the table. "Or at least teach me to understand his gurgling noises."

The level five simply let out a snarl and threw the boy backwards into his seat and slumped down into her own, clamping her arms over her chest as she waited for him to recover.

After wheezing for a short bit of time, the boy managed to catch his breath and finally croaked out his response.

"_H-his control . . . was t-terrible . . . _"

"And?"

" . . . _If he . . . _**ugh.**" Hamazura coughed once and cleared his throat. "If he stayed at a safe distance from a level five, it's just as likely that everyone at that same radius of the circle surrounding him would be killed as well."

The girls sat silently, looking thoughtful. The boy continued.

"His control is far better at smaller distances . . . ."

"So he's a softy, then." Mugino nodded to herself with a small grin crossing her face. "It sounds like this Sotomawari guy should be simple to take out, if we give it a little thought beforehand."

"Um . . . ."

The level five sent the boy yet another glare. "Oh, _now_ what?!"

"It seems that Sotomawari has gone into hiding and is conducting all of his affairs remotely." Hamazura scratched his cheek and looked away from the Number Four. "Rumor has it that even his own group is looking for him. And failing."

Mugino huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"That said, from what I have been able to put together, there _is_ apparently a new individual who is acting on his behalf."

Hamazura placed a single picture down on the table and slid it to the center for the ITEM girls to view.

"_Her name is Saten Ruiko."_

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"_Oh, my~ I'm a little disappointed!"_

A vivacious blonde wearing a Tokiwadai uniform strolled up to the little group and sent a pout to the downed high school girl. Aihana simply continued to smirk as he watched the anonymous (to him) girl in the miko outfit squat down and start to poke her friend in the cheek. The Queen continued her teasing . . .

"And I had such high hopes for you too!" The blonde clasped her cheeks in her hands and tilted her head. "You had such promising bust size ability~"

Himegami sighed and shook her head at her friend. "You're supposed to wait for the creature to attack before fainting. It's common courtesy. Shows respect to the monster."

"I'm surprised that you're still standing, miko-chan~"

The Queen sent a mocking pose over to Himegami, who shrugged.

"After all the things that I have seen in my life, a three meter tall pure white tree-girl isn't worth getting excited about. It barely even registers on the menace scale."

The blonde and the boy in leather exchanged a slightly worried glance after hearing the girl's speech. Aihana seemed to hesitate a bit before finally asking.

" . . . Are you a horror movie fan?"

"You just keep telling yourself that." The girl with princess hair simply continued to poke her friend in the cheek. "You'll sleep better that way."

The boy turned back to the Queen with a grimace twisting his face. The blonde level five shrugged.

"Alright then . . . " He pointed down at the girl still fainted on the floor. "What are we going to do about sleeping beauty here?"

"Watch and learn~" Misaki opened her purse and extracted a small bundle of cloth from within. The Queen giggled at the boy's bewildered look and sent him a teasing explanation.

"Nini-ui's gym shorts~"

Aihana made a face like he just spotted a skunk. "And you're carrying them around with you, _why exactly_?"

The blonde posed briefly before stepping forward and dangling the cloth over a certain anticipated freshman girl's face. "Watch and learn, meat-for-brains~"

Himegami quickly backed away as Fukiyose's previously expressionless face began to twitch and turn red. The Queen simply hid a mock-bored yawn behind one hand and continued to fan the cloth over the poor girl's face.

She then jumped back when the girl on the floor exploded upwards into a sitting position, shrieking in rage.

"BLUE HAIRED PERVERT!" The busty girl appeared to be trying to headbutt the air in front of her as she clawed at some nonexistent enemy. "**DIE!**"

"Welcome back, forehead-chan~" The Queen giggled at the overreaction and surreptitiously slipped the shorts back into her purse as the dazed girl began to look around in confusion. "And welcome to the Forward Echelon's private headquarters."

She gave the girls a dazzling smile as Himegami helped Fukiyose up off the floor. The Queen spun in place once and ended in a pose that sent a sweeping gesture down the hallway.

"_Be brave girls, our destiny ability awaits~"_

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Light from the late afternoon setting sun was shining through the window into Judgment's 177th branch office leaving a pattern of bright and dark squares on the carpet below the girl seated in front of the computer. She stared at the nearest screen intently, one hand briefly reaching up to scratch her head just below the flowered ornament festooning her short dark hair.

A small white beetle with glowing green eyes skittered in small random circles on the desk near the keyboard where the girl was sitting. When its travels brought it closer to the girl, she reached out and gently stroked her hand along its tiny back. The beetle paused silently under the caresses before continuing its pacing.

The girl had returned her attention to the computer screen when the sound of the branch office's door opening once again drew her attention away. A tall and busty older girl with glasses walked into the room. Her clothes were casual and she wore no green armband to mark her affiliation to the organization. The older girl smiled and waved in greeting.

"Good evening, Uiharu." The bespectacled girl then leaned in close to the table. "And hello to you too, Beetle-san!"

"Hello, Konori-san!" Uiharu grinned at her senior's exaggerated position. "Thank you for coming in on your day off."

"Well, it sounded like it was important . . . " The tall girl straightened up and shrugged her shoulders. "Or at least important enough that you didn't want to discuss it over the phone."

A smoothly polite voice floated up from the white beetle on the table top. "That was my idea, actually . . . ."

"It seemed prudent." Uiharu raised her hand and traced the path of a circle in the air with her fingertip. "We wanted to keep this amongst ourselves as much as possible."

" . . . I . . . _see_ . . . ." Konori replied distractedly as she tried to catch the skittering beetle on the table for a quick pet. " . . . Will Saten-san be joining us as well?"

Uiharu shook her head. "She had to run off some–"

"Uiharu." The sudden pop of air had been followed by a familiar female voice. "I brought Onee-sama here like you asked. What's up?"

The two girls nearly leaped out of their skins when their friends Kuroko and Mikoto appeared into the office, splitting the very air itself in their entrance. Uiharu placed her hand against he chest and exhaled slowly.

"Thanks for coming here on such short notice." The flower-haired Judgment girl looked the pair over. They looked rather disheveled. "You guys have curfew soon, right?"

The two Tokiwadai girls grimaced.

"Yeah . . . " Mikoto looked off to the side, scratching her cheek. "The request for an extension didn't go well . . . "

Kuroko cracked her neck, first one way then the other. "You are the master of the understatement, Onee-sama."

Uiharu's face took on a sheepish look. "Well then, I'll try to keep things to the point . . ."

The floral-empowered girl looked over each one of her friends with a serious look that almost seemed comically out of place on such a delicate girl. She cleared her throat as the others leaned forward in anticipation.

"No matter what happens . . . " Uiharu tapped a key on her computer, bringing up an image of a slender young man with blue-gray eyes and brassy blond hair.

"_We need to find Sotomawari Mairo."_

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"_Be brave girls, our destiny ability awaits~"_

"The dramatic foreshadowing flag has been raised and locked." Himegami stuck out a hand in the Queen's direction, sending her a thumbs up. "Nice job."

Misaki sent the girl her best pose. "I do try, miko-chan~"

A certain girl of iron walls looked up from furiously scrubbing at her face with her hands and snarled at the blonde level five. "Can we just get on with whatever it was that you dragged us here to do?!"

"Of course~" The Queen turned and started walking dawn the dimly lit corridor, tracing her fingers over the dusty gray walls. "Our meeting room is this way. Please watch your step~"

The two visiting girls glanced down at their feet for a moment with a look of unease showing on their faces. After sharing a brief glance between themselves, they started off after the blonde girl who was currently strolling down the passageway like she was leading some kind of parade. Fukiyose shook her head and gritted her teeth.

"_This had better be worth it_" she muttered and looked over at her friend in miko, who shrugged, but otherwise remained silent. The girls heard a voice from behind them.

"That frown will make a marvelous umbrella someday . . . "

"Mind your own business." Fukiyose turned her head back to the young man who was following close behind them. "And anyway, why are you so happy today? Did they rewire your head again or something?"

The boy sent the pair a dazzling, if creepy smile and moved up until he was even with their pace. After placing his hands on their shoulders, he whispered into their ears, causing the girls to shiver.

"_Wait for rain, girls._" The slender leather-clad seemed to be shaking in anticipation. "_Wait for rain._"

"Do I hear gossiping back there?" The trio froze for a moment when a cheerful girlish voice warbled back to them from further down the hallway. "That's very naughty~"

"Oh, my . . . ." The boy slipped his hands off the girls' shoulders and straightened up, bellowing down the passageway at the Queen. "Never, my mighty mistress!"

The girl of iron walls felt herself twitch when the returning giggles floated around a distant corner. "How much further is this room anyway?"

"A few more ninety degree turns. Shall we pick up the pace?"

Fukiyose nodded, but quickly took a step backwards when the boy abruptly exploded between the two girls in a fast jog. After blinking in stunned silence for a few moments, the pair took off after him in a dead run.

"These people really like dashing off without warning, don't they?"

"There has to be something wrong with their heads."

The bitter commentary was followed by the thundering sound of their feet as they dashed around corner after corner, up stairs and down again, until they started to get dizzy. Just as they started to wonder when they bought the tickets for this fun house, the girls nearly ran into a set of large double doors made of ornately carved dark wood. The leather-clad boy and irritating Blonde were standing on either side of it, grinning at them.

"We thought you'd never get here~"

With that final warble, they threw open the doors, the bright lights from inside dazzling the eyes of the newcomers still in the darkness of the passageway. The Queen then dashed into the room, vigorously pumping her arms in the air like a small child at a carnival.

"_Meeting time, darlings!"_

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"_We need to find Sotomawari Mairo."_

The faces of the girls took on a grim air at the mention of the boy's name. Well, all but one . . .

"Um . . . " Konori hesitantly looked around. "Who?"

Uiharu blinked in surprise before quickly recovering.

"That's right . . . ." She scratched her cheek. "We never told you about him, did we . . . "

Kuroko waved to get her senior's attention.

"In a nutshell, He's a delinquent borderline level five that went missing sometime recently."

"Heh . . . " Mikoto grinned over at her roommate. "And you call _me_ the master of the understatement."

Konori turned to look back at Uiharu. The girl began to explain.

"His friends asked me to help find him." Konori nodded, respecting the thought. "But after what I've been reading, I realized that I can't just keep this to myself."

Mikoto looked intrigued "What did you find, Uiharu?"

"For one thing, his powers were massively unstable." The level five raised her eyebrow and waited. "It wasn't unusual for him to damage his body when he used his powers. That's not even taking his use of body crystal into account."

"Was that boy power hungry or something?" Kuroko tossed her head. "Not every candidate can have Onee-sama's boundless grace."

"Kuroko . . . "

"Well, I don't know much about his character . . . " The florally-empowered girl did her best to ward off the oncoming argument. "His followers are always glowing when they talk about him, though."

"Of course they would be . . . " Kuroko muttered to the side. Mikoto rolled her eyes.

"From what I can tell, he was involved in a lot of strange projects." The other girls leaned in closer. "The last one before his disappearance involved activating his power while he was asleep."

"Would that be something useful?" Konori scratched her head in confusion. "I thought you said his power was unstable."

"Usually, yes." Uiharu looked over her results and found the passage she had been looking for. "However, if a person with a strong focus was used as a relay, the power was stabilized."

"So he was more powerful asleep than awake?" Mikoto gritted her teeth and stared off into space. "That sounds like another boy we know . . ."

"Heh . . . isn't that the truth, Onee-sama."

"I get that this boy's an odd case." Mikoto leaned over and looked over Uiharu's shoulder at the computer screen. "But why did you specifically need me to be here? Not that I am complaining, mind you . . . "

"It turns out that Mairo-san was in close contact with the number six level five." Mikoto frantically opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off. "But no matter where I look, it's like he disappears when they meet up."

The electromaster frowned and started to drum her fingers on the desktop.

"Sorry, Onee-sama." A snarky voice crept over her shoulder. "No duels for you."

"That isn't what I was thinking!"

The flowery girl cleared her throat to bring attention back to herself.

"There's one phrase that keeps occurring in strange places during my searches of the databases." The flower-haired girl motioned towards her computer with a jerk of he thumb. "I think it has something to do with the reason for Mairo-san's disappearance."

The other girls nodded furiously with wide eyes, urging her to continue.

"Sometimes I see it in archived transcripts and sometimes in the heuristic output from my search programs . . . " Uiharu waved her hands in front of her computer screen as if trying to encompass the knowledge manually. "But there are a lot of inconsistencies and contradictions to it, like the speakers themselves were unaware of its significance when they uttered it."

"Or it was outside their conscious control . . . ." The pure white beetle shaped level five murmured as it tapped the table underneath itself.

"Whatever the reason, they were also the final words that Mairo-san spoke before he disappeared." Uiharu tapped a key on the keyboard nearest to her. "It was a call to Ikari-san's cell phone."

The recording blared out of the speakers, the weak and distorted voice of a young man could just barely be made out from the background of heavy static:

_ '–elp . . . – . . . – m– . . . –leas– . . . . **pull down the sky** . . . .' _

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"_Meeting time, darlings!"_

After a moment, the girls' eyes adjusted to the bright light of the new room and they took their own first steps inside of it.

In contrast with the dingy and dark nature of the maze-like passageways that had led to it, the room was spotlessly clean and beautifully furnished. The walls of the octagonal room were faced with stained oak of a honey color, polished so smoothly that it seemed to be glowing. Rather than paintings, the flat surfaces were broken up by heavy tapestries stretching from floor to ceiling. The cloth held no images, instead being made up of strong contrasting colors and obscure geometric figures.

The center of the room held a massive table of a heavy dark wood, surrounded by seven large leather chairs that wouldn't have looked out of place in a fairytale king's throne room. The table itself was out of the ordinary as well: while it was basically square in shape, the four sides curved inwards toward the center, giving it the appearance of a four pointed star.

It was awe inspiring.

Or at least it would have been if a Certain High School's beauty sempai wasn't sprawled out on top of it and snoring loudly with an open and slightly drooling mouth . . . .

Fukiyose's hands found her face as she groaned at the sight. The Queen didn't seem any happier with the display and stomped over to the table to tap the sleeping girl's forehead.

"Oh really now, you old woman!" Misaki started to shout into the other girl's ear and shake her by the shoulder. "You have just utterly ruined our dramatic entrance ability!"

"You were taking too long." Seria muttered and turned onto her side away from the Queen. "A real woman like me needs her sleep."

"Yeah, a real _old_ woman!"

"Did the _alleged_ 'middle school student' just say something?" The Brain of the Board waved dismissively over her shoulder. "I must be getting hard of hearing in my old age."

The Queen stomped her foot and balled up her fists at her sides. "Actor-chan!"

"I know, I know . . ." The leather-clad boy sighed and turned to leave the room. "I'll go get the hose . . . ."

Seria just groaned in response "Can't we just have the meeting tomorrow?"

"Hell no!" Fukiyose shouted and stepped forward to shake her fist at the two girls. "We are not coming back to this stupid haunted house again, so just forget about it and deliver what you promised!"

"Ugh . . ." The busty dark-haired sempai pushed herself up off the table into a sitting position and raised her arms in a slow and luxurious stretch. "_fine._"

"What, she's up already?" The disappointed male voice caused the girls to turn and see a certain shadow striker dragging a hose into the room. "That can't be true! This is the best part of every Monday!"

The girl of iron walls sent a confused sideways glance over to Himegami, who shrugged.

"Sucks to be you, Actor-chan." Seria slid off the edge of the table and sent him a teasing smirk. "And I didn't wear a bra today, either . . . ."

" . . . Stupid luck." The boy shook his head and started tugging the hose back out of the room. "I'll go get the tea started then. Try not to choke on it and die."

"Oh, we won't~"

With a carefree toss of the head, the Queen held her hand over her shoulder and fluttered her fingers at the retreating boy before she began to make her way around the table, pausing at the side closest to the door. Unlike the other three sides of the table, there was only a single chair present there. As the Queen gently drew her fingertips over the top of the chair, Fukiyose examined it closer. A heavy black cloth, about as wide as a scarf, was draped over the armrests, covering the seat. She realized that there was a name embroidered on the headrest in copper colored thread. It was only one word.

"Hero?"

The Queen nodded with a mysterious, yet strangely sad smile on her face and let her hand fall from the chair back to her side. She silently rounded the sharp corner of the table and sat down at the first seat to the right of the one she had been touching. Seria likewise sat down at the first chair on the opposite side.

The girl of iron walls glanced over at her friend and made a sharp gesture with her head. Himegami nodded and the two girls slowly began to circle the table in two different directions, reading each embroidered name in turn as they passed it. Fukiyose took the right side.

"Queen . . . "

A certain Blonde grinned and held up a sideways peace sign next to her eye. The busty freshman scowled and continued on. Himegami called out the next name on her side.

"Brain." The girl with princess hair then increased her speed a little when Seria sent her a mysterious narrow-eyed smile.

"Six?" The two Echelon girls only grinned at Fukiyose's confusion.

"Striker. Is that leather boy?" The Queen giggled and nodded at the miko.

"General."

"Miracle. Really?"

Fukiyose stepped over to read the name herself and clicked her tongue. ". . . That's not egotistical at all, is it?"

"We did that to tease Mairo-kun." Seria explained to the now bewildered girls. "His power doesn't have an official designation, but it's sometimes called 'Probability Field' or 'Miracle Perimeter'."

The Queen took the opportunity to chime in. "Apparently, his level five epithet ability will be 'Deus ex Machina' if he ever reaches it~"

"Really?" Himegami tilted her head to one side in response to the Queen's words. "That doesn't have 'plot derailment' written all over it at all, does it . . . "

Fukiyose snorted in response to the Queen's posing and her friend's seemingly random statement. "Where do you want us to sit, then?"

"Those chairs are fine. Neither of those two individuals will be joining us today, unfortunately~"

The Queen didn't sound at all upset . . . .

Himegami nodded silently and sank into the 'Miracle' chair. She then leaned back and mimed petting an invisible cat. "No Mr. Bond, I expect you to dine . . . "

The resultant giggles from the other two girls led Fukiyose into rubbing her forehead like she was trying to erase a headache with brute force alone. She finally gave up and sank into her own 'General' chair.

It was surprisingly comfortable. Almost like it had never been used . . .

A slight clattering sound brought the girl's attention to the room's entrance, where a familiar leather-clad boy was pushing a small cart bearing a magnificent tea service.

"Tea's up!"

The slender boy stopped the cart next to the cloth covered 'Hero' chair and handed Seria a delicate porcelain cup and saucer. "Boob monster one . . . ."

"Two sugars please. Hold the cream and the candor."

He pushed the cart in front of the Queen. "Boob monster two . . . ."

She posed as he set the cup down in front of her. "Lemon and honey please, you miserable toad~"

Aihana silently pushed the cart to a certain healthy freshman's chair. "Boob monster three . . . ."

Fukiyose's eye twitched. "Stuff it, _**toothpick**_!"

"_Maybe later . . ._" He muttered and passed a cup to Himegami. "Anonymous . . . ."

Himegami slumped down in her chair, engulfed in a black aura. She knew couldn't refute it . . .

The boy finally trundled the small cart to his own seat and placed a cup of his own down on the table. "And for the gentleman, Oolong with a side of cyanide pills . . . ."

"Oh cheer up, Actor-chan~" The blonde's warbling voice cut like a knife into the heavy atmosphere of the room.

"_We get to talk about our history ability today!"_

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Elsewhere in the city, a tall young man slowly descended a narrow and dusty flight of wooden stairs, each step down marked by a familiar sharp creaking tone. He carried a plate in one hand, the fingers of the other tracing lightly along the railing.

The light was dim enough that there were few if any shadows to mark out his passing when he finally reached the bottom of the staircase. Ducking his head down slightly as he turned a corner underneath it, he pushed open the thin door hidden behind the stairs.

The light was brighter in that small room, but not by much. The tall young man listened to the slow rhythm of cold electronic pulses as he looked over the myriad devices connected to a young man laying silently on a narrow bed that dominated that small space.

There was no response when the tall young man placed the plate down on the empty table next to the bed. He backed up, seating himself on a short stool just beside the door, and smiled.

"Good evening to you, Mairo-kun." A buoyant voice was directed at the young man on the bed. "How is the bed treating you?"

_Silence._

"Well, I think you are looking good today!" The young man gestured over to the plate recently placed on the table beside the bed. "And look, I brought your favorite curry-bread for dinner!"

_Silence._

"If you are still hungry, there are plenty more upstairs." The young man's voice tightened a bit. "Just come on up, it's no trouble at all!"

_Silence._

The young man seated next to the door paused for a moment before nodding and looking down at the pattern of small cracks webbing the dull gray cement floor.

"You just take your time and enjoy." He slowly returned to his feet and turned his back on the room. "I'll send Mami-chan down later to pick up your plate."

_Silence._

"I'll come down to see you again tomorrow before school." He ran his hand over the frame of the door and smiled softly. "Sweet dreams, old friend . . . ."

Just as the young man was about to take his first step out of the room, a dry creaking voice entered his ears from the direction of the bed.

"_You really are such a good friend to this boy, young soldier~"_

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The meeting a the 177 branch office had ended a few minutes ago and the other girls had dispersed for the day, but she still lingered in the office.

The sharp lines of an electronic device held loosely in one hand. For all that it connected, it felt like a barricade.

She stared at the number on the screen of her cell phone and finally chose to hesitate no longer.

She pressed the send button and brought the device to her ear.

It connected after only a single ring.

"Sogiita-san, it's Konori . . . ." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Are you available to talk later tonight?"

The elder Judgment girl paused for a moment and steeled herself

"_I need your help finding a missing person . . . "_

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"_We get to talk about our history ability today!"_

"I'll save you the trouble." Aihana turned to the two girls sitting on his left. "One morning, two large breasted sociopaths woke up and decided to take over the world. With _breasts_."

"THAT ISN'T HOW IT HAPPENED!" The Queen and Brain shrieked indignantly from the other side of the table in perfect unison.

"Yeah well, that's pretty much where we are _now_, isn't it?"

During this little display of discord, Fukiyose noticed that Himegami was smirking at her, the girl's eyes aimed a bit further south of her own eyes than she would have liked. "You have something to say?"

"It all makes sense now . . . "

"Don't you start that with me."

"Yo, some attention up here please!" Seria began to wave at the other side of the table. "I'd really like to get this over with. Some of us have part-time jobs to get to, you know."

"Yeah, well I'm not exactly jumping for joy over here!"

The Queen giggled at the exchange between the two busty girls and placed a fingertip at the corner of her mouth. "Shall we begin the reminiscing ability then?"

The glares being sent her way from the other participants seemed to be a sufficient answer for the Queen, who then leaned back into her chair and started to gesture with her hands as she began her story.

"The Dark-haired witch and I have known each other for some time." Misaki fluttered her hand in the Brain's direction. "I certainly wouldn't call us friends. It's more that we share a common interest ability~"

Seria cleared her throat. "As the little blonde fetus here was alluding to, we aren't together because we want to be, but because we feel that we have no better choice."

Fukiyose and Himegami blinked in confusion and waited for her to continue.

"A certain event occurred earlier this year during summer break." The beauty sempai clenched her fist against the table top. The girls noticed that the Queen was staring into her tea cup with an equally intense expression. "After that incident, our common interest was taken from us . . . ."

"When individual efforts proved useless in dealing with this unfortunate situation ability, we joined forces . . . " The Queen's warble seemed rather strained and as bitter as poison. "To protect and comfort him from afar. Shadows that are always so close, but never able to touch . . . ."

The freshman girls exchanged glances. Seria picked up the conversation.

"Even though the two of us are very well connected, it became painfully apparent that the two of us were failing in even this simple role." The beauty sempai turned her head and gestured over at the room's sole male. "So we began to recruit."

"While actor-chan here doesn't look like much, he has his uses~" Aihana scowled over at the Blonde who smiled back. He twitched and crossed his arms over his chest but otherwise said nothing. "Our boy was listed as a potential level five counter. So we gave him a little assistance ability~"

The girls turned their heads to regard the boy sitting next to them in shock, mouths gaping open. The boy himself only scoffed.

"The fact that I willingly agreed to join you people really put the 'ass' in 'assistant'."

The Queen smiled brightly. "There's that negativity ability again, Actor-chan~"

"Don't mind me, my mighty mistress . . . ." Aihana grunted at his handler, then whispered into his chest. "_Things will only get better from here . . . ._"

The Queen blithely continued on. "I am also . . . _associated_ . . . with another individual who provides us with muscle from unexpected places."

Seria picked up from there, the freshman girl's curious stares leading the Queen to unexpectedly falter and look away.

"The individuals whose chairs you are sitting in are each masters of their own organizations." Seria gestured at the empty chair on her right side. "They joined on the condition that the boy we were intending to protect would be brought into this organization as well."

Fukiyose pointed across at the empty chair. "Who is this boy exactly?"

"Honey, if you don't know then you don't belong here~"

After waving off the glare of iron walls that the Queen was receiving, Seria looked her kohai directly in the eye. "That isn't knowledge for today. Once you know, you can never go back."

A blunt voice issued from a certain anonymous miko. "It's Kamijo, isn't it."

Seria went silent and Fukiyose turned to her friend with a bewildered look.

"Why would you think it was Kamijo?"

"It's always Kamijo." The miko's eyes were heavy as she spoke. "And you call yourself one of his barnacles."

The girl of iron walls glanced over at the two girls giving the explanation and was greeted by a pair of sullen expressions. She turned her head to look at the leather-clad boy and found him to be whistling and checking his nails in a nonchalant manner.

"That's it." The girl pushed her back into her chair and folder her arms over her chest. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

The girl with princess hair placed a finger beside her chin in a thoughtful pose. "It's pretty obvious when you think about it . . . ."

"Oh, be quiet!" Fukiyose scowled across the table at the two witched currently engrossed with the ends of their hair. "Do you two have any more anticlimactic letdowns for us or can we go home?"

Seria grumbled and turned towards the blonde. "Why don't we show these brats what we're made of?"

"Marvelous~" The Queen's face took on a playful grin as she stood up from her seat and stepped away from the table. She tilted her head up towards the ceiling and cried out in a singing voice to the heavens.

"_Facade, sweetie~ Come out to show them!"_

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"_You really are such a good friend to this boy, young soldier~"_

The young man in the doorway reluctantly turned his head to look back at the person on the bed. A rigid face held a pair of open glassy eyes staring up at the ceiling.

Pupils dilated into empty black pools.

The jaw flexed open mechanically as a dry tongue smacked the roof of the boy's mouth.

The young man in the doorway was staring at the ground and trembling.

"Even now . . . "

That voice came again. _"How does it feel?"_

"Even now!"

"_How does it feel that you yourself are responsible for this."_

"DON'T MOCK ME!"

"_She doesn't need to mock you. This is the truth."_

"It's your fault that we went this far!"

"_You could have stopped her at any time. She is such a frail little girl, isn't she?"_

The young man shivered once.

"I told you, don't mock me."

"_She has been told that you are leaving the fold. Do you really think it will be so easy?"_

The tall young man stood silently and looked away.

"_Just because she can't find your location, it doesn't mean you are out of her reach."_

"Don't talk down to me. I know what you have been doing behind our backs."

"_Do you?"_

The tall young man gritted his teeth and hissed at the one speaking through his friend. His fists were clenched at his sides.

"_**Why did you hurt that little girl?**_"

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"_Facade, sweetie~ Come out to show them!"_

The Queen's face abruptly fell for a moment before raising up again to stare at the girls, who flinched in their chairs. Her eyes fell half-shut for a moment before snapping open again, pupils dilating to a terrifying degree.

A manic toothy smile twisted the once delicate features of her girlish face and Fukiyose felt herself gripping the table edge to stop her hands from shaking. All the while, behind and above the Queen, distorted white shapes flickered in and out of existence.

Then without warning the flickering stopped when Misaki thrust her hand up towards the ceiling.

Something seemed to be fading or even _growing_ into existence behind her.

An abomination of an oily white material stood there, towering over the level five. It's spindly branch-like limbs reminded each person still seated of a girl who had been dipped in white paint and then stretched three meters tall. Glowing red orbs marked what passed for a face on the creature, they cast warped shadows over the Queen's inhuman grinning. Her hand seemed to briefly caress its crouched form.

A sound like clicking or crackling seeped into the room as the creature began to move towards the table. It was enough to make all present tremble in their seats.

It began to reach out towards them . . .

"_Uhn–_"

The Queen fell to the ground and shuddered. Above her, the creature eroded into nothingness, its final sounds echoing away. She shook her head and wiped the sweat from her face.

"Doing that twice in one day is harder than I thought" The Queen sighed and picked herself up from the floor. "I really need to work on my endurance ability."

"Humph . . ." The girl with princess-hair crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin in the Queen's direction. "You act is melodramatic and derivative."

"Wait a minute!" Aihana leaned over to glare at the forgettable girl sitting next to him. "I though that _I_ was playing the mean one."

"No, you're playing the industry insider." Himegami turned to the girl sitting next to her. "How's the enthusiastic soft-hearted one holding up?"

The girl in question seemed to be in less than stellar form. Wide glassy eyes were nearly popping out of her bloodlessly pale face and her fingers gripped the edge of the table so tensely that Himegami wouldn't be surprised if she left a dent in it. The Queen pointed at the immobile girl.

"**There**, you see that?! That's a normal reaction ability!" She began to shout at the rest of the group, waving her arms in the air. "Seriously, what's with you people!?"

"I assume they've all seen it before, and I've seen better." Himegami gave a blunt reply and pointed at her friend. "Now how are we going to bring her back _this_ time."

"I have a surefire remedy for that miko-chan~" The Queen stepped back to the table and began to dig around in her purse. "Now where did I put– Ah, I found it~"

The blonde withdrew her hand, and presented a small voice recorder to the group. She strolled over to the catatonic freshman girl and held it next to her face.

"This is how it's done, darlings~"

With a little pose, the Queen pressed the play button. A familiar voice blared out of the tiny speaker and into Fukiyose's ear.

_**'SUCH MISFORTUNE!'**_

Fukiyose's head reflexively flew forwards.

"LAZY IDIOT!" She shouted with a bright crimson flush covering her cheeks. "Get back to work!"

The bizarrely joyful look on the face of the girl of iron walls as she shouted at the currently absent misfortune magnet left the rest of the group pitching a fit of giggles. Giggles that seemed grossly out of place considering the atmosphere of the room only moments ago. After blinking in confusion for a few seconds, the hotly anticipated freshman girl let out a growl in the Queen's direction.

"What's the point of that?" The blonde sent her a look of mock innocence. "Why do you even have a recording of Kamijo's voice."

"I acquired it for my personal use ability~" The Queen sent the now twitching Fukiyose a playful pose. "You see, forehead-chan, sometimes when a girl gets lonely at night–"

"I don't want to hear it!"

"Oh, my~" The Blonde's face held a disturbingly broad smile as she gazed into the furious crimson cheeked girl's eyes. "Have I been impinging on your territory ability or something?"

"It's like you're asking me to headbutt you!"

"Now, now~ Lets not get hasty here~" The Queen made a broad gesture into the empty air behind her. "Aren't you the least bit curious about my little display a minute ago?"

Fukiyose grumbled and fell back into her chair with just barely a pout showing. She watched scowling as the Queen returned to her chair and sat back down.

"Once upon a time . . .

"Is such a clichéd opening . . . ." Aihana muttered under his breath. He looked away when the Queen glared at him, but didn't bother hiding his smirk.

The blonde twitched for a moment before continuing.

_Once upon a time, there were two projects in this city. One allowed a group of electromasters to connect together into a network and serve as a kind of a super computer. The second created a really big brain in a jar that gave a certain blonde goddess, who may or may not be sitting in front of you right now, the ability to control many more people than she had ever been able to before._

Fukiyose slapped the palm of her hand against her face but otherwise remained silent. The Queen grinned and continued.

_The first project was eventually taken over by the Number One and was later halted. The second project was destroyed during the Daihasei festival to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. _

Seria shifted in her seat and looked away.

_Not long ago, the Number Two was grievously injured in a battle with the Number One and nearly died. After being placed on an advanced life support system, the scientists discovered that he could be artificially stimulated to produce his signature Dark Matter on command. Eventually, they discovered that they could recreate living tissue, or some semblance thereof, using this dark matter ability. This led to the Facade project~ _

Fukiyose and Himegami leaned in, eagerness written clearly across their face.

_As a test of concept, the scientists used this Dark Matter to recreate the big brain from the second project, but with a twist. About half of that brain was modeled on the original electromaster from the network in the first project. Some of the part that was left over was modeled on the brain of the Number Two. Specifically, the hypothalamus region. The rest is all yours truly, darlings~_

The audience collectively rolled their eyes.

_The scientists initially had the aim of mind-controlling the Number One by intruding through the first project's network, but this intrusion was blocked by an unknown effect. While the initial aim proved to be a failure, Facade turned out to be useful in vastly increasing an individual's esper calculation ability or even sharing powers between individuals that were mentally connected to it. By opening a loop between the individual and Facade, calculations are received, translated, processed, and sent back. The person's own personal reality then creates the desired effect. The resultant power is limited by the recipient's level, similarity to their own power (if they are borrowing it from someone else), and the number of individuals using the network. _

_Unfortunately for the scientists, Facade eventually made contact with myself and the original electromaster and removed itself from the scientists' influence. They were unable to stop it, due to the unique properties of its creation: it existed within the higher spatial dimensions usually only accessible to teleporters, totally out of reach for us mere mortals~_

The Queen gave a final flourish with her hand and posed with a peace sign framing her right eye.

"Now then~" She warbled at her slightly dizzy audience. "Any questions?"

Himegami put up her hand. "Are you really a middle school student?"

The Queen twitched. "Are there any _serious_ questions?"

"I _was_ being serious . . . ."

"I have a question." Fukiyose leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "If that thing's so amazing, why to you need the two of us?"

"It's very simple, forehead-chan~" The Queen warbled as she sent the most anticipated freshman girl her best pose. "There's something you can do that none of us are capable of~"

A smile that made the two girls huddle against each other reflexively broke out across the face of the blonde level five. The Queen's head tilted to the side as she slide her eyes over the two freshman girls with a look that seemed more appropriate for a visit to a butcher shop.

"_You girls are going to make all of us so **very** happy."_

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"_Why did you hurt that little girl?"_

The rigid face of the boy on the bed contorted into an inhuman grin.

"_She didn't hurt the girl . . . She has allowed her to . . . **Ascend**."_

"You. _Are. __**A**_. **MONSTER**!"

"_**Level Five**, don't call **her** a monster."_

" . . . Answer me."

"_We both know the real monsters here."_

"**ANSWER ME!**"

"_Why the girl? Love is the key."_

" . . . "

"_An emotional little girl so full of love . . . "_

" . . . ."

"_One who hasn't the faintest idea just how powerful she is right now . . . "_

The young man growled from deep within his throat. The creaky voice from the bed continued.

"_How might she react to someone hurting her beloved 'Onii-chan' . . . ?"_

"I'm going to stop you."

Strained chuckles passing the lips of his friend sent chills down the tall young man's spine as he stepped forward to place a hand on his friend's forehead. The skin around it began to shimmer weakly in the dim light.

"_Are you sure you really can?"_

The creaky voice faded gradually as those glassy eyes began to fall closed once more.

"_**That girl isn't the only one.**"_

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Author's Note:

I know, I know . . . no Touma in this one . . .

Don't worry my friends, I have big plans for our resident misfortune magnet. It may take another chapter or two, but his role has grown! Excessively!

Those who are keeping up with the railgun manga may have noted that the basic premise for the first three chapters of HwSS has been thrown out the window. A few minor edits may solve that problem, but I'm still considering it . . . .

As for the current story, we have several sides of Mairo, but which one should we trust?

Passive-aggressive Aihana was fun in this chapter. Fukiyose received the short end of the stick, Himegami rises above all . . .

Saten is receiving some _very_ unneeded attention . . .

As always, the General adds levels to levels.

There are seven chairs to fill.

Until the next one,

Let's get writing!


	2. Wrong Number

**He Lay Dreaming, part 1.2: Wrong Number**

**I do not own the RAILDEX universe.**

**Author's Note:**

Back again with a short bridging chapter featuring the girls of the Forward Echelon continuing on from the last chapter's meeting.

Expect more in the near future.

Enjoy!

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In some dark and dusty hallway, deep within the maze-like innards of a decrepit building, a pair of heavy wooden doors were slammed open with enough force to shake bits of plaster from the walls. The rumbling echo of the initial crash welcomed a young woman into the hallway, her arms still outstretched as she plodded over the threshold of the door. She continued to walk along the shaft of light exiting the brightly light room behind her and placed her hands on the opposite wall, lowering her chin to her chest and shuddering once.

"_What the hell have I gotten myself into?_"

The whispered words of a certain healthy girl, epic of both bust and forehead, faded away reluctantly into that cavern of a building. An inhumanly calm and familiar voice reached her ears not long after.

"I did warn you to read the fine print before selling your soul."

Fukiyose turned back and glanced over the friend in the shrine maiden outfit. "You're telling me that you have no problem with this?"

She watched her friend shrug, seemingly without concern.

"It's nice to stand out in a group for once."

Fukiyose raised her eyebrow as she looked over the gem of a girl she called her friend. "How exactly?"

Himegami put on an expression that could almost be construed as self-satisfied . . . or possibly some kind of 'I-just-walked-in-the-exit-only-door-without-anyone-noticing' face. The shrine maiden gestured her hands up and down the front of her body.

"I'm the only girl here with a chest that isn't approved for use as a flotation device in the event of a water landing." Himegami gestured with her thumbs at the pair of busty acquaintances that lined up on either side of her after exiting the room. "Live in the forest long enough and you stop seeing the trees."

The blonde on her right released a giggle and took the time to pose. "You say that, but behind that smug non-smile of yours, I can hear your soul dying~"

The girl with princess hair shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'll take what I can get."

The dark haired senpai on Himegami's left side placed her finger beside her chin in mock thoughtfulness.

"Personally I don't see a downside to it." Fukiyose's fist clenched when she caught the smirk blooming on the older girl's face. "We'll save money on disguises since no one will be looking at our faces."

"Can we just leave already?" The healthy girl looked disgusted as she pointed down the hallway. "I don't want to spend the rest of the afternoon looking for the exit. Don't fire codes mean anything to you people?"

"Rules tend to fly out the window around here." The group turned as a slender boy in a leather jacket closed the door on the room with seven chairs. He grinned. "It's almost like we don't want you to have the option of escaping . . . ."

"Haven't I been saying that?"

Seria cleared her throat.

"As amusing as it would be to let you try your luck in the corridors until midnight or thereafter, I have after school activities to get to." She nodded at a dark alcove further down the hall. "So we are going to use the expedited exit."

The Queen seemed particularly pleased by the newcomers' looks of confusion.

"There's a stairwell over there." The blonde gestured broadly with her gloved hands. "We go down two floors and follow the corridor to the end. Then we go up one flight of stairs and we'll be at the front door again. Marvelous, right~?"

A certain high school's most anticipated freshman girl began to shake, clenching and relaxing her fists at slowly shrinking intervals. She began to growl at the floor.

"Are you telling me that you made us run full tilt through this maze of a building when there was a direct path the entire time?"

The Queen only smiled as Fukiyose took a step closer to her.

"We changed floors six times in ten minutes."

"Six and a half. The building's not quite level."

Fukiyose's eyes started twitching uncontrollably. "_Why?_"

"Why?" Misaki leaned forwards and tapped the angry girl once on the nose with a single gloved finger. "Because grand tours are so much fun~"

Fukiyose closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"_**^ %$$^# !**_"

The flying missile that the busty girl became was narrowly stopped before impact by the swift action of a shrine maiden and slender boy seizing her from either side. The golden haired girl stood unflinching as the thrashing fingertips of the enraged girl barely brushed past her nose.

"We should have these meetings more often~"

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_To: Praetorian Dragoons_

_From: Guardian-at-arms_

_CC: Corrections; Nightmare; My Idiot Brothers_

_Subject: Wednesday_

_All Founders gathering._

_Great Old Ones confirmed._

_Prepare for worst case. _

_Sky may fall._

_M._

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The humming notes emanating from the blonde level five filtered through the darkened hallway like some fairground calliope. A progression of several individuals followed her as she led them to their destination, every step she took nearly a prance. Behind the blonde was a dark-haired senpai wearing a smug expression, followed closely by a remarkably unremarkable girl wearing a miko outfit.

Dragging behind that lot was a scowling and nearly snarling dark-haired freshman girl being led down the hall by the firm grip on her upper arm of a stone-faced slender young man. When the group finally reached the promised dark alcove, she turned to him and let out a deafening yell.

"Will you let go of me already!?" Fukiyose wrenched her arm from his grasp with a quick swipe of her fist. "I'm done trying to kill her!"

The boy calling himself Aihana simply shrugged and backed off a bit. This move was followed by the most anticipated freshman girl jamming an accusatory forefinger into the boy's face.

"And don't think I didn't notice those hands of yours earlier." The boy's face twisted in confusion as she continued. "If you ever do that again, I'm going to give you a face full of my forehead!"

The shadow striker didn't seem particularly impressed as he crossed his arms over his chest. He looked about to open his mouth when the girl in the miko outfit raised her hand.

"Actually, that was me." The accuser and accused froze in place before turning their heads to look at her. "I got curious and saw my opening. That's what a hero does."

Fukiyose turned slightly green, rendered speechless. The boy on the other hand was radiating pure satisfaction when Seria's voice broke the moment wide open.

"If you girls are done getting frisky, I'll turn the lights on."

Light flooded the alcove, filling Fukiyose's vision with the sight of an identical pair of level fives, both in the exact same teasing pose.

"GAH!"

In an attempt to jump backward, the freshman girl with the fearsome forehead tripped on her heels and landed hard on her backside. From her new vantage point on the floor, she realized the Queen was standing in front of an enormous painting of five individuals, done in photo-realistic oil paints. The Queen had chosen to mimic her life-size replica's ingrained pose to the letter.

"What the hell is this?"

"May we introduce you . . . " Fukiyose could feel her teeth starting to grind together. "To the Forward Echelon~"

Fukiyose drew her eyes over the enormous painting, starting from the right side. The five figures were uniformly glancing upwards, as if they were being observed from a balcony. Seria's doppelganger stood on the far right, smirking up at the viewer with an expression so familiar that Fukiyose was struggling against the urge to headbutt the picture. Standing next to the beauty senpai, a certain red herring wore a defiant expression, balled fists held ready at his sides. On Aihana's right was a sickly-looking boy with wiry brass-blond hair, clutching his ribs and glaring out of the painting as the tall and slender boy on his right held his shoulder to steady him.

"What the Frunk is that?!" Fukiyose pointed at the strange hood-like red mask covering the head of the tall boy. "Is some Irish math rock band missing it's bass player or something?"

"I don't know much about that funky sort of thing . . . but when the inspiration strikes, he can get down with the best of them~"

The Queen continued to mimic the sideways peace sign of her painted double as through it was as natural to her as breathing. Fukiyose chose to sigh and rub her forehead, slowly returning to her feet as her friend leaned in close to read the small golden plaque mounted next to the frame.

"Misaki. 'Six'. Mairo. 'Aihana'. Seria. Not pictured: the General." Himigami glanced over at Seria and the Queen."I get the feeling that the quotes aren't being used ironically."

The pair simply flashed her the same patronizing smile before the Queen chose to change the subject.

"That picture was a gift from one of my girls~" The Queen finally relinquished her pose. "It was created from memory in under five minutes thanks to her liquid based telekinesis powers. It works on any fluid over a certain range of viscosity. She's quite the wizard with oil paints–"

"Don't care." The Queen pouted as Fukiyose began to glance around the alcove. "Now where are the stairs?"

" . . . Spoil-sport."

The Queen slid her hand behind the left side of the frame. After a resounding click, the picture swung silently away from the wall, revealing the hidden stairwell behind.

"Secret passageway. Godly."

"Do _not_ praise them, Hime."

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As the wind whipped the blonde hair around her tiny face, the little girl lifted her chin in defiance. She had watched as that mitten was removed and thrown at her feet.

"Are you too scared to accept?" The one who had thrown the mitten stood facing the blonde with her arms akimbo. "Goads Misaka as Misaka pretends to be a fairytale knight of legend."

The little blonde narrowed her eyes.

"Nyaa . . . " She knelt down and picked up the mitten. "Essentially, I accept your challenge."

She stood up from her crouch and threw the mitten at the girl with the hair antenna, hitting her square in the face. It remained there for a few seconds before sliding off, the nimble hands of the tiny electromaster catching it before it hit the ground.

"Then you understand the stakes 'prods Misaka as Misaka does her best to ignore the indignity she just suffered at the hands of the stuck-up blonde.'"

The little blonde stuck out her tongue. "Essentially, there can be only one!"

The pair of little girls stood staring at each other for just a moment longer. Then, at some unspoken signal . . . .

"EEEEEEE!"

The squealing screams of the tiny pair retreated swiftly into the distance, their feet kicking up dust as they ran. Two boys watched as the girls flew up the path to the hospital and disappeared into the main entrance. On the left, the pale boy leaning on a futuristic cane grumbled to himself.

"What have I miffing done to deserve this?"

The blond delinquent standing next to the pale boy slowly turned his head to look at his companion, but said nothing. The number one swung his head around, baring his teeth.

"**RECENTLY****!**"

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With the brief art exhibition having been concluded a few minutes earlier, a nondescript section of wall next to a familiar metal door gave way and swung outwards into the entrance alcove that had admitted Fukiyose and Himegami into the building earlier that day. A blonde girl stepped out of the hidden passageway closely followed by a girl in a shrine maiden outfit and a sullen busty freshman girl.

"I'm surprised there weren't chains and manacles down there." Fukiyose did her best to control a violent shudder. "I swear those spiders were bigger than my head . . . ."

"I learned several new words today."

"Quiet, Hime."

Himegami only semi-grinned as she watched a slender boy stroll out of the passageway with the beauty senpai lagging behind, cell phone pressed to her ear.

"Actor-chan, my ride is here." Seria pointed at the battered metal door. "Open sesame."

The boy took his time undoing the dozen or so locks and wrenched the door open. "Leaving this den of thieves so soon?"

"My business is none of yours." She paused in the doorway and turned back to the remaining girls. "This meeting is adjourned. If we never meet again, it'll be too soon."

"I look forward to our next game of bingo, sweetie~" The Queen fluttered her fingers as the senpai disappeared behind the half-closed door. "This is my week to hide the car-bomb and I'm feeling lucky~"

When she turned away from the door, the level five was greeted by a pair of appalled faces and one that seemed perfectly resigned.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. We always keep things in-house~" Misaki bent into a sideways pose with one hand on her hip and the index finger of her other hand tracing past her chin. "The winner gets 45 minutes and a pair of handcuffs!"

"You sicken me."

"Welcome to my life." Aihana nodded in agreement at the girl who had threatened him earlier. "I still have the urge to throw up the first time I see her in the morning . . . "

Fukiyose gritted her teeth. "And I'm sure her vast tracts of land do nothing to help cushion the blow."

"I regret to inform you, but I happen to be something of a _haunch_ fan." The boy sent an indiscreet glance downward at all those present. "Slim pickings at the table, even with the new meat on the butcher block . . . . "

"My offer of a face full of forehead still stands, boy."

The Queen grinned at the display of discord. "As amusing as that would be to watch, I'm heading out to visit Touma-chan this evening~"

"Again?"

"Since he usually has trouble remembering who I am, this past week has been nothing short of a miracle." The Queen's face turned bright red as she raised her gloved hands to her cheeks. "I even got him to start calling me a ridiculous nickname! It's so marvelous I could faint~"

Fukiyose had just opened her mouth to comment when the Queen giggled and continued.

"Every time I see him flinch at the sound of my voice, I just want to roll around on the floor and let my hands go on vacation!"

The jaws of the two other girls had dropped nearly to the floor as the slender boy ushered the blonde out of the door by her shoulder. He muttered in a disgusted voice as she skipped down the steps.

"Thank you for providing the plot of our nightmares for the next month and a half . . . ."

"I never miss an opportunity, Actor-chan~" The Queen's voice wheedled the boy as he ushered the remaining girls out the door and activated the hidden time lock. "Now walk me back to my dorm."

"You know there is an arcade calling me, right?"

"Then you better hurry up and bring me home. I want to freshen up before I visit him~"

Aihana sighed as loud as he possibly could, returning a giggle from his blonde handler. He turned to Fukiyose and Himegami, pointing down a nearby alley. "You two can catch the late bus back to your dorms if you follow the signs. We're heading the other way."

Without a further word, the boy and the blonde walked off into the alley in the opposite direction, leaving the two girls alone in front of the fortress-like building. Fukiyose shook her head.

"Best news I've heard all day . . . "

She had just waved Himegami to follow her into the alley the slender boy had indicated when a familiar male voice reached their ears, shaking them to the very core.

"_My, my. Fancy meeting you ladies here . . . ._"

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The long journey through an uncountable number of twisting narrow alleys had finally lead the Fifth of the Seven back into her preferred territory before she realized that her unwilling companion was straggling further and further behind. When she finally chose to look back, she found him some distance back, craning his neck to look through a pair of double doors as they passed by. When his increasingly crooked path brought him into a collision course with a lamppost, she called out and placed her hands on her hips.

"Actor-chan, I believe you were walking me to my dorm . . . ."

The leather clad boy turned forward in enough time to tap his nose on the metal pole in front of him, causing him to jerk his head backwards.

"And I believe that a level five can walk the final two blocks by herself." He grumbled under his breath as he briefly rubbed his nose before tilting his head from side to side, cracking his neck. "Or does being alone with Seven running around make you want to wet yourself?"

The Queen pointed at the brightly lit door behind him.

"Go to your games, Actor-chan." She spun on her heels and started to march off, readjusting her purse as she called back over her shoulder. "Just try to avoid being electrocuted. It happens."

"Send my regards to that boy." The Queen paused mid step. "Word on the street is he has much better options available than you lot . . . ."

Misaki balled her fists as she heard the automatic door slid open and then closed again. She didn't bother turning back.

" _. . . __with this card you can become Aihana Etsu, the number six of the City's level fives._"

Misaki blinked in surprise as the voice floated around the corner out of a nearby alley. She cautiously crept forward and peered in at the occupants. A tall gorilla-looking delinquent was holding out a card to a well battered and rather dumpy looking otaku boy who accepted it. The giant delinquent immediately pulled out another card from his pocket and held it in front of the boy's face. The Queen was just able to make out the familiar symbol embossed on it. A circle and line resembling a stylized drawing of the planet Saturn was nested within two horizontally opposed triangles. Both she and the General knew it well . . .

"Whatever you do, _never_ call yourself the number six around anyone wearing this symbol or Forget-me-not flowers whenever you are in this or the neighboring districts." The Queen grinned at the otaku's obvious confusion. "It doesn't matter if they are teachers or even little girls. They will immediately try to kill you and will be very disappointed when you die too easily to be the real number six."

The otaku stared down at the card in his hand, strange gurgling sounds emitting from his throat. He then dashed out of the alley, barely giving Misaki the time to look nonchalant as he passed her. The delinquent simply grunted once and shook his head before turning and walking into the depths of the alley. The Queen gave a quiet giggle as he disappeared.

"So you are the one spreading Actor-chan's good name about town. I wish I could have been in on the fun~"

The Queen had just started back on her return trip to the dorm when she rounded the corner and found a tall blue-haired boy engrossed by a roulette vending machine. Her jaw dropped briefly before she stormed up to him.

"Nini-ue!" She hissed at him as she grabbed his arm and started shaking him like a dry martini. "What are you doing out here in broad daylight?!"

The boy's face lit up when he got a good look at his assailant.

"Whoohoo~ A Tokiwadai ojou-sama just fell from Heaven into my lap!" He pointed a finger directly into her face. "Bro-con girls are on my list! Lets start with a sisterly shoulder massage!"

A look of absolute horror crept over the Queen's face as she released him and took a stumbling step backwards. She started frantically digging into her purse.

"Sorry, I seem to have the wrong number!" She wrenched a small green remote from her purse and clicked it directly in the blue-haired boy's face. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his eyes glaze over. "Now, you go into that fudge shop over there and pinch the bottom of the biggest guy you can find~"

She watched as the boy walked with a robotic gait across the street and entered the aforementioned shop. Misaki struggled to control her breathing as she stood with one hand over her chest and the other rubbing her temple. As the sound of a ruckus emerged from the fudge shop, she whispered through the frantic shaking of her head.

"_Nini-ue, where are you and what are you planning!?"_

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**Author's Note:**

May the real Aihana Etsu please stand up . . . .

As you may have guessed, I am having "Aihana Etsu" be the leather wearing boy's real name. The real Number Six is borrowing it for "red herring" purposes. Or maybe it's the other way around? We'll see.

Misaki's "six and a half" line is where the average person would have snapped. Kudos to the iron walls for holding out for another line.

While it isn't mentioned in the text, the stairwells the FE used to return to the entrance are hidden at both ends. There is also no way to walk from one side of the building to the other without changing floors at least twice, which is intended to make incursions more difficult.

The mask Six is wearing in the painting is based on the one worn by the bassist of the band Adebisi Shank. It seemed like something he would do.

Aogami makes an appearance, just not in the way that the Queen was expecting. This may be significant . . . .

The Middle Line really love their pretentious titles don't they? Due to her high rank and abnormally diverse connections within the group, Myuri's official style of address is long enough to make Queen Victoria blush. Expect to hear it during the Founder's meeting on Wednesday.

Until next time . . .

Lets get writing!


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